Ok...Im hairy, pimply, dry itchy and bitchy and I cant lose wt literally to save my life. Low carb no longer works. Monthly got outta wack. Back up to 200 lbs. While it did take me a while to get there (4 years) Im back none the less. Feeling cysts popping, told my NP about everything and she brought up Metformin. I said cool, I had thought about it before. Started low. 500mg once a day for two weeks and then 500 twice a day for two weeks and then re evaluate and see how it does on my tummy. One a day was fine. No effect of any kind. Two a day does tend to give me tummy upset. Thats fine, I know to eat something small and protein based to squash that. I have a fifteen year old neice that was close to 400lbs and on her way outta here before they decided she needed to be on metformin. She has lost 75 lbs since Jan this year thank god. She is not diabetic but pre. I have a friend who is mail and he is recently diagnosed diabetic like last year and when he takes his metformin he has a very hard time keeping his wt on. He says he feels very weak under a certain wt and if he takes his metformin while it does wonders for his blood sugars, his body wants to drop wt like crazy. I still havent lost an ounce in almost 21 days.

Anyay, if I will stop being itchy and the facial hair will go away and my hair will stop shedding like a wooly mammoth, its worth taking but how long do you reckon it will take to start seeing those changes??

Sounds like you're my twin

Yazzi... I hate to say it but, each person is different...
It took a good two to three months before I had enough in my system - they started with a small dose because for me, I had never taken it before, and didnt want to be sick if I had a high dose from the get-go.

Ive been on Metformin for MANY years, I take 1000mg every day - no issues with it AND, thanks to Paleo for my unique situation, Im already seeing weight loss, hair loss is minimal, male hair growth hasnt been back for almost 2 years (THANK GOD)

You will have to be patient while your body adjusts...
Keep in mind too - that any lifestyle change takes time to get used to - dont give up!!!!

If you have to, consult with a Registered Dietician who specializes in diabetic counseling - after all, diabetics need to watch their carb intakes - and I bet there is something out there that they can custom-tailor for you

How long you stay on Metformin depends on a lot of things. Sometimes it helps people with their issues, and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the digestive issues are just too challenging. There are other things that can be very helpful for PCOS and the issues you are talking about. First, it isn't just a low card diet that is necessary, exercise is REAL important! Also, there are some websites that are very informative that you might want to check out: www.insulitelabs.com, and www.pcosupport.org/. The facial hair will start to clear up hopfully as your insulin resistance gets under control. It can take up to six months, but all that work will help you in so many other ways...

April K

I have been on metformin 1000mg/day for about 3 months now. Only recently have i noticed that my hair is starting to fall out in clumps wich scares the crap out of me (its down to my waist and has always kinda been my point of vanity). The metformin makes me extremely sick. I have found a certain set of foods that i can eat without incident, and sadly, until the side effects calm down, i only eat those. I think that one of the key things to metformin is to try to ride out the side effects. different pcos forums online say that if you can make it past about 6 months of hell, i guess the drug is totally worth it. I myself am still kinda on the fence about that one. I have had a ton of success on low carb, i have lost about 50lbs in 5 months. For the last 2 months, the scale really has not moved. After about my second month on the metformin, my wieght started to drop pretty fast agian. i went from a steady 200 to 189. Now i do not know if that is related to the metformin or not, but i will take it as i can get it. As far as the facial hair is concerned, my doctor said it can take up to six months to start seeing a difference. That sucks but it is better than nothing i guess. One thing i would ask your doctor....has he tested your hormone levels? Once i was diagnosed with pcos, mine did extensive blood work and found out that my dhea hormone levels are FOUR times higher than they should be. Apparently, this not only leads to weight gain, facial hair, mood swings and insulin resistance, but also to the fact that i probably have NEVER even ovulated bc the levels were so high. If these hormones are out of whack, it throws your entire body for a loop. I am now taking a butt load of medicines daily to try to bring these levels down, but i find the longer that i stay on them, my body seems to appreciate it and has finally started to drop weight again. I know u said that low carb doesnt seem to be working anymore, i can understand that. Because i am so sick from this medication, i basically live of off pudding, jello and some fruit. Boring i know. It killed me to not be low carb and i was terrified that i would gain. but there comes a point when you are so sick u have to eat something and if it has some carbs in it then whatever. find what u can tolerate and try to hold in there with the metformin. Good luck!!!